No-Huddle Won't Diminish Ray Rice's Touches

Despite a pass-heavy preseason, Ray Rice will still be a big part of the offense.

The Ravens have shown off a no-huddle, pass-heavy offense during the first three preseason games.

In last week’s win over Jacksonville, quarterback Joe Flacco threw the ball 36 times in a little more than two quarters. Running back Ray Rice had only two carries and one reception in a little less than a quarter.

So will Rice see fewer touches once the Ravens get into the regular season?

"Absolutely not,” Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron said on Tuesday. "It has nothing to do with touches for Ray. Ray, we know, is one of our best players.”

The Ravens have limited Rice’s playing time and touches in the preseason. He notched 10 carries for 46 yards and three catches for 24 yards in three games.

But once they get into the regular season, the Ravens plan to give teams a heavy dose of Rice both on the ground and through the air.

"The bottom line is that he’s always a huge part of what we’re doing and we’re always looking to see how people are defending him to see how we can continue to get him the ball in space,” Cameron said.

Rice is one of the NFL’s most versatile backs and he led the league last year with 2,068 yards from scrimmage. The fifth-year running back led the Ravens with 76 receptions last year and is a critical piece of the passing game.

"Those are long hand-offs for me,” Rice said. "A back like me, you can’t be one-dimensional. I’m not a plower.”

And while the Ravens have leaned toward the pass during the preseason, Rice and Cameron both know that the running game is a still a key part of the offense.

"Just because it’s a passing league doesn’t mean you’re not going to run the ball,” Rice said. "It just means when you run it you have to be effective. With the quarterback and the system we have, it allows us not to be one-dimensional.”

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